Jahnu Barua’s Assamese film to release in Mumbai

Assamese filmmaker Jahnu Barua

Of late, regional cinema has crossed state boundaries and gained a major foothold in the big metros. After Bengali and south films grabbing eyeballs at theatres, now an Assamese film is all set to release in the big cities.

Eleven-time National Award-winner Jahnu Barua’s film, Baandhon (Waves Of Silence), will be released by a multiplex chain in Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and other metros on July 5. “It was a pleasant shock for me when in the month of March this year, I was approached me to release the film. So far, no Assamese film has released outside Assam. It’s understandable that the native population outside Assam is not that big, so there was less enthusiasm for Assamese films in the rest of India,” says Barua.

Barua feels that this is a very hopeful change, as of late content has climbed up the priority list for both audiences and filmmakers, and regional films are getting appreciated beyond their respective states. “In Mumbai, the city being a cinema hub, today people are concentrating on content. In general, regional cinema is buzzing with rich stories. So viewers are showing a lot of interest in regional films. That must be one of the reasons why PVR has also started taking an interest in Assamese films,” says Barua.

Along with regional films, Barua also takes an equal interest in Bollywood movies. So, after Mumbai Cutting (Anjane Dost segment; 2011), he is set to make his next Hindi film but refrains from divulging any details. “I am doing a film in Hindi and I am going to start by the end of the year. I won’t be able to disclose anything about it because I’d like to keep it a secret until everything is finalised. I will speak about it in November,” he says.

Baandhon is based on the story of an old couple living in Guwahati who has lost their son and daughter-in-law in an accident. Their only reason to live was to be with their grandson, who was studying engineering in Mumbai. But unfortunately, the film takes a gritty turn when the couple’s grandson goes missing and they are forced to come to Mumbai to look for him only to find that he was one of the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks.